After Shinde’s assurance, farmers’ march halts in Thane

However, if a government order in this regard were not issued to all district collectors in the next three-four days, the march would resume, members of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), which has been spearheading the agitation, warned

The farmers’ march, which started in Nashik, and was headed to Mumbai, halted at Thane’s Vasind on Thursday after chief minister Eknath Shinde assured a delegation that the state government would accept most of their demands.

Farmers at Shahapur in Thane on Thursday. Earlier in the day, a 13-member AIKS delegation comprising J P Gavit, Ashok Dhawale, Ajit Nawale, MLA Vinod Nikole, and Indrajeet Gavit attended a meeting chaired by Shinde. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and other ministers were also present. (PTI)

However, if a government order in this regard were not issued to all district collectors in the next three-four days, the march would resume, members of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), which has been spearheading the agitation, warned.

Earlier in the day, a 13-member AIKS delegation comprising J P Gavit, Ashok Dhawale, Ajit Nawale, MLA Vinod Nikole, and Indrajeet Gavit attended a meeting chaired by Shinde. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and other ministers were also present.

The government has accepted the demands, but an oral assurance and the actual implementation are two different things, Nawale said after the meeting. “We have decided to halt the march at Idgah ground at Vasind in Shahapur until we receive the minutes of the meeting, and the government makes an announcement in the assembly on Friday. The march will be called off only after the directions have been issued to the district collectors.”

Among the farmers’ 17 demands are an ex gratia of ₹600 per quintal for late kharif onion, implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 12-hour power supply to agricultural pumps, complete loan waiver, compensation for crop losses due to natural calamity, and compensation for land acquisition.

Nawale said the protest has not ended; it has been stalled for the time being. “Though the state has already announced an ex gratia of ₹300 a quintal for onion, it has assured us to increase the amount to give respite to the farmers. We have also been assured that the loan waiver will be given to 88,841 farmers who have been left out of the loan waiver scheme.”

About the implementation of the Forest Rights Act, a committee of ministers will be set up and members from AIKS will be on it, Nawale added.

On March 12, thousands of farmers from tribal districts such as Nashik, Palghar and Thane started a foot march from Dindori in Nashik. AIKS, the farmer wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and several other farmers’ organisations are participating in the protest.

This is the third march by the farmers. After the first one in 2018, the Fadnavis government had assured them to fulfil their demands. The one in 2019 was called off on the second day after a similar assurance from the state.